The Turó de la Rovira, with an altitude of 262m and a 360 degree view has been continually occupied, from the Iberian era to present.

With the growth of modern Barcelona, the Turó de la Rovira experienced a final burst of agricultural activity, but the pressure of urbanization continually increased. In 1886, a water tower was placed on the hill by the Barcelona Water Company (Companyia d’Aigües de Barcelona), and not long afterwards the first summer houses appeared. From the second decade of the twentieth century the momentum in development grew, reactivating the nearby Can Baró quarry.

During the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) the Republican anti-air defense authority (DECA) found that the hill was the most suitable place to build its anti-aircraft battery, which was instrumental in republican efforts to defend Barcelona.

In the post-war period, as immigration returrned, the city was plagued by a chronic lack of housing. The then abandoned military structures were used as shelters and the shanty town of Els Canons which was to survive into the 1990s sprung up around them. Also during this time, water tanks and communication towers were installed, some of which can still be seen to this day.

TURÓ DE LA ROVIRA (HILL OF THE ROVIRA), THE BALCONY OF BARCELONA

View of Barcelona from Turó de la Rovira, 2011, MUHBA. Photo: Pep Parer.

Map of the heritage site

Aerial view, 1972, APMH

ENTRADA

1. Officials pavilion2. Troops Pavilion3. The Turó de la Rovira through time4. Command Centre5. Anti-Aircraft Battery6. i 7Shooting Platform

8. Els Canons 9. Shantytown10. i 11. Gunners Quarters

In the war of 1936-1939, not only were the fighters on the front important, so too were those in the rearguard: Factories, ports, train stations, power plants and furthermore, the civilian population were all vital to the Republican war effort. Aviation became the definitive weapon of the conflict and significantly influenced the course of the war. Bombing was the perfect tool to disrupt the economy of war and Barcelona was the first city in history to suffer large scale and systematic aerial bombardment.

. From the month of November, having reinforced its economic role, Barcelona became the political capital of the Republic. It played host to three governments, that of the Second Republic, the Basque Country and the then autonomous government of Catalonia, the Generalitat. Because of this the city became a key objective for the fascists. Because Barcelona was easy to locate due to its characteristic seafront, authorities decided against continuing a passive defence of the sea and air, instead focussing on protecting their citizens through active defences, designed to neutralise enemy bombardments. In order to locate enemy planes, observation and listening centres were used, along with lighting projectors, reflectors and acoustic locator apparatus (early form of of radar), which were not very precise. As for the neutralisation of enemy attacks, anti-aircraft guns and fighter planes were used.

The air defence of Barcelona consisted of surrounding the city with gun batteries giving a range of fire that could stop, or at least disrupt, the attacks carried out by German and Italian Air Forces who were allied to Franco. The batteries were situated in two zones: on the waterfront where three to four batteries were split between Montjuïc and Poblenou, and the Turó de la Rovira where another battery was set up. Batteries were also re-located from the fronts to the city to further bolster its protection when needed.

Each battery was fitted out with acoustic locators and various reflectors protected by anti-aircraft guns. These batteries became known as batteries of light and sound. The Turó de la Rovira battery consisted of four Vickers 105mm cannons and an ammunition depot protected by an anti-aircraft machine gun.

Between the 25th and 26th of January 1939, during the long retreat known as La Retirada, the Republican army disabled the artillery but the battle continued on the hilltop for some while longer.

A KEY ROLE IN THE WAR AND POST-WAR PERIODS

BARCELONA’S ANTI-AIRCRAFT PRIORITY.

TURÓ DE LA ROVIRA AS PART OF THE CITY’S ANTI-AIRCRAFT DEFENCE STRATEGY

Acoustic locator for detecting the sound of planes, BNE

One of the cannons with it’s operators A cannon once the war had finished, c. 1939-1942, Fons Brangulí, ANC.

Since the early twentieth century, Barcelona’s growth as a city was rapid. The lack of housing was constant and this saw the uncontrolled growth of slums. Many slums that emerged in the first half of the century continued to grow up until the. By the end of the 1950s, shantytowns had reached their peak, with 20,000 huts housing some 100,000 people, about 6% of Barcelona’s population. This informal city stretched the length of the beach from Somorrostro to the old Chinatown (now the Vila Olímpica to Fòrum) as well as in the hills of Montjuïc and El Carmel, on the southern slopes of the Turó de la Rovira.

At the summit of Turó de la Rovira the now disused gun battery was soon to be reused, and became a nucleus of new informal housing. The popular name Los Cañones came unequivocally from the military use of the site during the Civil War. The inhabitants arranged their huts in remarkabe order in relation to the central axis of the battery, which they converted into their main street, and adapted to the complicated topography of the land. The general appearance of the shantytown corresponds with the architecture of Andalusia from where many of the inhabitants originated.

The district, characterised by strong organisational ties to the workers unions, came to have around 110 huts and 600 residents. One of the main problems for inhabitants was the water supply. It is no wonder then that, following the installation of a reservoir in 1963 by Barcelona’s water authority, someone managed to attach an improvised fountain, which can still be seen.

The shanty dwellers formed a representative group, the Carmel Residents Association (l’Associació de Veïns del Carmel) in 1972. In the mid-1970s, the association went to the city council looking for basic infrastructure; refuse bins, public toilets and running water.

It took up until the late 1990s for the council to finally to commit to supplying the services. The neighbourhood association also pushed for the creation of a school for adults in the area.

Its renovation in 2014 has transformed the Turó de la Rovira into a new space that combines its archaeological heritage with an outdoor museum and enclosed exhibit. With a unique perspective, it is part of the so-called balcony of Barcelona, which includes the Tres Turons (Three Hills), from Vallcarca bridge to Hill of the Rovira. It is strategic point from which to explain the urban development of the city.

THE INFORMAL CITYThe Canons district

Residents of Els Canons preparing the ground before erecting a shack, c. 1955

Easter precession heading towards Els Canons 1964, Fons Ignasi Marroyo, ANC.

Classroom in the adult education centre, 1980, Arxiu Paco González.

Students outside the adult education centre, 1980, Arxiu Paco González

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